Rockable type segments in printing mechanism for business machines



H. PRIEBS 3,456,583 ROCKABLE TYPE SEGMENTS IN PRINTING MECHANISM July 22, 1969 FOR BUSINESS MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1967 July 22, 1969 H. PRIEBS 3,456,583

ROCKABLE TYPE SEGMENTS IN PRINTING MECHANISM Filed July 25, 1967 Fig. 2

Jufiy 22, 1969 H. PRIEBS 3.456.583

momma TYPE SEGMENTS IN PRINTlNG MECHANISM- FOR BUSINESS MACHINES Filed July 25, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 H. PRIEBS 3,456,583 RQCKABLE TYPE SEUMENTS IN PRINTlNG MECHANISM July 22, 1969 FOR BUSINESS MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 25, 1967.

United States Patent Int. Cl. Bin 5/06 US. Cl. 101-94 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Printing mechanism in adding and accounting machines comprises a type package including a plurality of adjacent type segments, and respective releasable value-setting means and releasable printing lever means, each of the type segments comprising a substantially T-shaped type rail and a pair of type carrier plates disposed in parallel planes spaced from one another, the type rail extending between the type carrier plates. The respective value-setting means and printing lever means are disposed in the space between the parallel type carried plates. The type carrier plates have outer smooth gliding surfaces in slidable engagement with the gliding surfaces of type carrier plates of the type segments adjacent thereto. Also provided are lateral plates adjustably spaced from one another on opposite sides of the type package for guiding the type package per se.

My invention relates to printing mechanism in adding and accounting machines, particularly for optically and magnetically readable characters having type carriers which are connected by linkeages with value-setting members and are transferred by cam-controlled printer levers from value-setting position to printing position.

Optically and magnetically readable characters, such as CMC 7, IBM 1428, NOF, particularly with the standardized OCRA lettering having a separation or spacing of 6 inch or less are always required to furnish a clear imprint. This necessitates having a printing mechanism with exact parallel guidance right up to the printing location and a relatively easy capability of replacing any type that may possibly be damaged inasmuch as a deviation from the parallel of as little as about 3 and a slight partial damage of the printing type can cause faulty readings.

It is known from the German Patent No. 586,198, that in adding machines having rigid type carriers in the form of type bars, a printing hammer that is guided in a guiding cam, is provided with a guide bracket that is supposed to provide guidance in the printing zone of the type bar. Furthermore, the German Patent No. 966,529 discloses a printing mechanism with sector-shaped carriers which is guided with its rotary axis'and its guide arm through a guide comb having comb sheets with a U-shaped fold both about the transverse axis of the type in the fold as well as about the longitudinal axis of the type in the comb teeth. Additionally, lateral guidance of the type sector through another guiding comb substantially at the level of the axis of the printer drum or platen, also takes place. The known printing mechanisms are not particularly suited for producing optically and magnetically readable printed characters because the guidance of the type carrier does not extend right up to the printing location and damaged type is able to be replaced only with difiiculty and with great expenditure of time. In addition, these printing mechanism constructions are not suitable for narrow characters having a separation or spacing of 5 inch or less due to the space requirement of the comb guides, because they do not guarantee exact parallel printing, inasmuch as 'ice distortion or twisting of the type bars is not prevented by the comb guide system and the line guidance afforded thereby.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide a printing mechanism having easily exchangeable or replaceable type, for producing characters having inch spacing therebetween or less, which will provide exact parallel printing.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I provide printing mechanism in accordance with my invention comprising a type package including a plurality of adjacent type segments, and respective releasable value-setting means and releasable printing lever means, each of the type segments comprising a substantially T-shaped type rail and a pair of type carrier plates disposed in parallel planes spaced from one another, the type rail extending between the type carrier plates. The respective value-setting means and printing lever means are disposed in the space between the parallel type carrier plates. The type carrier plates have outer smooth gliding surfaces in slidable engagement with the gliding surfaces of type carrier plates in the type segments adjacent thereto. Also provided are lateral plates adjustably spaced from one another on opposite sides of the type package for guiding the type package per se.

In accordance with a further feature of my invention, each type carrier is sctor-shaped and is pivotally secured on a respective printing lever by a bayonet-type pin and slot connection.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in printing mechanism in adding and accounting machines, particularly for optically and magnetically readable characters, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the printing mechanism of my invention partly broken away to show a type segment in various positions;

FIG. 2 is a view of a type package forming part of my invention taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part of the printing mechanism of FIG. 1 shown in printing position;

FIG. 4 is a view of the printing mechanism corresponding to that of FIG. 3 but showing only an individual type segment in the disengaged position; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an individual type segment in engaged position.

Referring now to the drawings and first particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a printing mechanism for an accounting or adding machine which is located in a housing 1. The printing mechanism is formed of a type segment package having as many sector-shaped type segments 2 as the number of decimal positions that are to be printed. In a conventional manner, each type segment 2 is coupled by a linkage 3 with a respective value-setting member 4 and is pivotally mounted on a printing lever 5 at the center of rotation of the respective sector-shaped segment. All of the printing levers 5 are in turn mounted on a stationary shaft 6 supported on the frame or housing of the machine and are operatively connected respectively with a releasing or clearance lever 7 also rigidly mounted on the frame of the mechanism. The lever 7 has a free end rollable along a cam path or surface of a cam 8 which is driven by the main shaft 9 of the accounting machine. The abrupt printing movement proper of the priming lever is effected, in a conventional manner, in response to the biasing force exerted thereon by a tension spring when the cam follower end of the release or clearance lever 7 drops into the recess 8a of the cam.

The path of movement of a type segment 2 is illustrated in FIG. 1. After a'machine operation is released or commenced, all of the value-setting members 4 initially move into the normal position 4 shown in phantom, that is the position representing a value of zero, and the type segment 2 is pivoted by means of the linkage 3 into the position 2' shown in phant0m.-In the case where the zero is to be printed, after previously releasing and clearing the printing lever 5, in a conventional manner, the cam follower end of the clearance or release lever 7 is caused to drop into the recess 8a due to the rotation of the cam 8 in the direction of the arrow associated therewith, whereby the lever 7 is caused to pivot abruptly into the position illustrated in phantom in FIG. 1. Simultaneously, due to the tension of spring 10, the printing lever 5 is pivoted clockwise and the type segment 2 is snapped or jerked into the printing position 2" shown in phantom, against the paper roll 11. In the case where a different value than zero is to be set by means of the value-setting member 4, for example the value 2 (II) or 7 (VII), the type segment assumes the illustrated positions II or VII and II" or VII" respectively, so that the values 2 or 7 are printed on the paper roll 11.

In accordance with the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the type package is assembled of several sectorshaped type segments 2 located adjacent and in engagement with one another. Each type segment 2 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is formed of two laterally spaced segment-shaped and T-shaped plates 2a and 212, between which a circular type bar 20 is peripherally secured by means of rivets 2d or similar fastening means. A tongue 2e extends radially inwardly from a peripheral region of the segment plate 2a into a notch or cut-out 21 formed in the plate 2a and is provided with a rivet pin 2 located at the free end thereof, on which the linkage 3 is suspended by means of an eye 3a provided at an end thereof. At the rotary center of the sector-shaped segment 2, both segment plates 2a and 2b are connected by means of a bearing pin 2g riveted thereto. In addition between the plates 2a and 2b, there is provided a spacer or support roller 2h, located so that its distance from the rotary center point of the sector-shaped segment permits it to engage the outer circular arcuate surface of a slotted eye 5a located at the end of the printing lever 5. The supporting roller 2h serves for transferring the printing lever forces to the type segment. The exterior surfaces of the segment plates 2a and 2b are formed as guide plates and are smooth and flat. In order to minimize the frictionproducing surface area and weight, the segment plates 2a and 2b are provided with notches or cutouts such as the aforementioned cut-out 21' (FIGS. 4 and 5), which have profiles that, for every value-setting position, afford safe guidance with the adjacent segment plate right up to the printing location.

The number of type segments 2 (FIG. 2) correspond to the number of value settings in the mechanism. The segments 2 are assembled together into a type package and are guided between a fixed plate 12 and a slidable plate 13, respectively, which are located between two transversely disposed traverses or. beams 14 and 15. The transverse traverses 14 and 15 are fastened with screws or the like between the side walls 1a and 1b of the printing mechanism housing 1.

The guide plate 12 is rigidly fixed in distance from the side wall In by spacer sleeves 16 which are disposed on the transverse traverses 14 and 15. The spacer sleeves 16 may 'be shorter or longer depending upon the number of the value-settings or type segments 2 in the type package. The loose guide plate 13 abuts against an adjusting nut 17 which is threaded on a bolt 18 riveted in the lateral wall 1b of the housing 1 and is tightened or secured by means of a lock-nut or counter-nut 19 or the like. Depending upon the adjustment of the adjusting nut 17, the necessary clearance for movement between the individual type segments 2. can be set and adjusted so that an exact parallel guidance of the type segments 2 right up to the printing location is assured.

From FIG. 3 it can be seen that the portion of the adjacent and abutting type segments 2 located opposite the pivot point 2g (the center point of the sector) on the printing lever 5, both in the printing position 2", II and VII" as well as in the non-printing position 2' the value position they are pivoted into being immaterial, move right up to the paper roller 11 without tilting or deviating, because in each position of movement, the segment plates 2a and 2b engage one another along their mutual surfaces from the pivot point thereof up to the type rails 2c.

FIG. 4 illustrates a single type segment 2 with a partly removed segment plate 212 at the pivot point, a linkage 3 with value-setting member 4 and printing lever 5 in disengaged position of the type segment while FIG. 5 shows the type segment in engaged position. The exchange or replacement of a desired type segment 2 from the type package takes place in the value position 9 of the valuesetting member 4. In that position, the linkage 3 can be removed from the rivet pin 2 by laterally tilting it, so that the type segment can be pivoted counter-clockwise to the position shown in FIG. 4. In the position of FIG. 4, the support roller 2h is removed from its operative engagement with the outer periphery of the eye 5a of the printing lever 5 and, when pulled toward the left hand side as shown in FIG. 4, the bearing pin 2g and the type segment therewith can be removed from the slot in the eye 5a and from the print lever mounting.

The advantages achieved by my invention are that due to the employment of two parallel-arranged type carrier plates, between which the adjusting and driving levels are releasably or disengageably mounted, and the mutual parallel guidance right up to the printing location, narrow type, particularly for a separation or spacing of characters that is less than /8 inch, are able to be produced with sufiicient rigidity. Completely accurate parallel printing, necessary for optically and magnetically readable characters, is thereby achieved. Due to the relatively easy interchangeability or replacement of the type segments without disassembling the machine, in addition to exchanging possibly dam-aged type, the entire printing mechanism can be changed over to a different kind or style of characters in situ.

I claim:

1. Printing mechanism in adding and accounting machines, especially for optically and magnetically readable characters, comprising a type package including a plurality of adjacent and abutting type segments, respective value-setting means and printing lever means operatively connected to each of said type segments for respectively placing said segments in value-setting position and transferring said segments from the value-setting position thereof to a printing position, each of said type segments comprising a pair of type carrier plates disposed in parallel planes spaced from one another and a type bar extending between said type carrier plates, said value setting means and said printing lever means extending into the space between said parallel type carrier plates, said type carrier plates having outer smooth gliding surfaces in slidable engagement with the corresponding gliding surfaces of type carrier plates in abutting type segments located adjacent thereto.

2. Printing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said type bar is substantially T-shaped.

3. Printing mechanism according to claim 1, including a pair of laterally disposed plates adjustably spaced from one another on opposite sides of the type package.

4. Printing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said type segments are sector-shaped and are pivotally connected to the respective print lever means bayonetlike by a pin and slot joint.

5. Printing mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the pin of said joint is located at the rotary center of said sector and the slot is formed in an eye located at an end of said printing lever means, and a support roller located between said segment plates and at a location adjacent the eye of said printing lever means, said support roller being spaced from said pin substantially in the printing direction of said segment.

6. Printing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said pair of parallel segment plates are formed with opposing cutouts, and a tongue member extends substantial- 1y radially from one of said segment plates into the space between said segment plates in the region of said cutouts, said value-setting means being removably connected to said tongue.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner 

